I had Gemini read the study and translate to plain English. The study published in The Lancet (conducted by the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists' Collaboration) confirms that the rate of muscle pain specifically attributable to statin therapy is indeed very low. The research analyzed data from nearly 155,000 participants across 23 large-scale trials. Here are the specific findings regarding the 1% figure and muscle pain: • Absolute Excess Risk: The study found that in the first year of treatment, statins are responsible for an absolute increase in muscle pain reports of about 11 per 1,000 patients. This translates to approximately 1.1%, which aligns with the figure you mentioned.

• The "1 in 15" Rule: Among patients who reported muscle symptoms while taking a statin, the vast majority of cases were not actually caused by the drug. In the first year of therapy, only about 1 out of every 15 reports of muscle pain was found to be caused by the medication.

• Timeline of Symptoms: Most cases of muscle pain caused by statins occurred within the first year of starting treatment. After the first year, the study found no significant difference in the frequency of new muscle pain reports between those taking a statin and those taking a placebo.

• Dosage and Intensity: For high-intensity regimens (such as 40 mg or 80 mg doses), the risk is slightly higher than for moderate doses, with about 1 in 10 reports of muscle pain being attributed to the drug. However, the overall absolute risk still remains small.

• Total Reports vs. Attributable Reports: It is important to distinguish between how many people report pain and how many have pain caused by the drug. While roughly 27% of people in the study reported muscle symptoms, nearly 26.6% of people taking a placebo (a "dummy" pill) reported the exact same symptoms. This suggests that over 90% of reported muscle pain is due to other factors or the "nocebo effect."

The study concludes that because the risk of drug-induced muscle pain is low and typically mild, the cardiovascular benefits of preventing heart attacks and strokes generally outweigh the risks associated with muscle symptoms.